The Seabed Baited Remote Underwater Video (SBRUV) protocol is used to survey fish communities across a wide range of reef-associated and coastal habitats. It is especially effective for detecting large, cryptic, or disturbance-sensitive species — including reef sharks and carnivores — that may be underrepresented in diver-based methods.
Each SBRUV station consists of a stereo-video rig deployed on the seafloor for a fixed soak time (typically 60 minutes). Only the first hour of footage is analyzed. Bait is used to attract fishes into view, and species are identified using standardized video protocols.
SBRUV data are organized into two interlinked tables:
sbruv.stations — Deployment metadata, including spatial context, rig setup, bait, and video info
sbruv.maxn_by_taxa — Species-level summaries per station, based on MaxN and linked traits
Species are standardized using accepted_aphia_id, enabling integration with taxonomy.fish.
Tables
Stations (sbruv.stations)
This table contains one row per Seabed BRUVS (SBRUV) deployment. Each record represents a unique baited camera drop and includes spatial coordinates, depth, time, and key deployment metadata (e.g., bait type, stereo camera models, rig ID).
This table serves as the spatial and sampling reference for associated fish observations stored in sbruv.maxn_by_taxa.
Table 1: Additional fields to the core site fields in the sbruvs_sites table
Field
Type
Required
Description
ps_site_id
STRING
true
Unique site ID (exp_id_method_###), e.g., FJI_2025_sbruv_001.
exp_id
STRING
true
Expedition ID (ISO3_YEAR).
method
STRING
true
Survey method (sbruv).
region
STRING
true
Region name.
subregion
STRING
true
Subregion name.
locality
STRING
false
Optional local feature (e.g., bay, channel, reef).
date
DATE
true
Date of SBRUV deployment (YYYY-MM-DD).
time
TIME
true
Start time of video recording (HH:MM:SS).
latitude
FLOAT
true
Latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).
longitude
FLOAT
true
Longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).
lead
STRING
true
Name of the field lead or technician.
time_out
TIME
false
End time of the deployment (optional; used to calculate soak time).
depth_m
FLOAT
true
Depth (m) of the camera on deployment.
habitat
STRING
true
Dominant habitat type (e.g., fore reef, mangrove, channel).
exposure
STRING
true
Exposure type (windward, leeward, lagoon, etc.).
bottom_type
STRING
false
Description of substrate or bottom type at deployment site.
rig_id
STRING
true
ID of the camera rig used (e.g., RIG01).
left_cam
STRING
true
Model or serial number of the left camera.
right_cam
STRING
true
Model or serial number of the right camera.
bait_type
STRING
true
Type of bait used (e.g., sardines, skipjack, local fish).
highlights
STRING
false
Notable events or field notes (e.g., large predator presence, gear issue).
notes
STRING
false
Additional comments or QA annotations.
MaxN by Taxa (sbruv.maxn_by_taxa)
This table contains station-level summaries of fish detections from Seabed BRUV deployments. Each row represents a unique combination of ps_site_id and species, with associated metrics derived from standardized video analysis.
The primary metric is maxN, defined as the maximum number of individuals of a species observed simultaneously in a single video frame during the first hour of footage. This conservative estimate is widely used in BRUV analysis to avoid double-counting individuals.
All taxonomic fields are standardized via accepted_aphia_id, enabling linkage to taxonomy.fish. Additional traits (family, trophic group, etc.) are included to support community structure and trophic composition analysis.
Table 2: Schema for sbruv.maxn_by_taxa: station-level fish detections and MaxN metrics
Field
Type
Required
Description
ps_site_id
STRING
true
Unique site ID for the SBRUV deployment.
accepted_name
STRING
true
Scientific name of the detected species (Genus species).
accepted_aphia_id
INTEGER
true
WoRMS AphiaID; links to taxonomy.fish.
family
STRING
true
Family of the taxon.
trophic_group
STRING
true
Trophic group classification (e.g., top-predator, herbivore/detritivore).
maxn
INTEGER
true
Maximum number of individuals observed simultaneously (MaxN).
maxn_per_min
FLOAT
false
MaxN standardized by soak time in minutes (optional, if soak time varies).
mean_length_cm
FLOAT
false
Estimated mean length (cm) of individuals, if measured.
min_length_cm
FLOAT
false
Minimum estimated length (cm), if available.
max_length_cm
FLOAT
false
Maximum estimated length (cm), if available.
notes
STRING
false
Optional annotations or QA comments for the record.
Source Code
---title: "Seabed BRUVS Dataset"format: html: theme: lux self-contained: true code-fold: true toc: true toc-depth: 3 toc-location: right number-sections: true number-depth: 3---```{r setup, message = F, warning = F, fig.width = 10, fig.height = 10, echo = F}options(scipen = 999)library(PristineSeasR)library(bigrquery)library(gt)library(gtExtras)library(tibble)library(tidyverse)library(dplyr)library(ggplot2)library(plotly)library(lubridate)knitr::opts_chunk$set(eval = F, warning = F, message = F, include = F, echo = F)ps_paths <- PristineSeasR::get_sci_drive_paths()prj_path <- file.path(ps_paths$projects, "legacy-db")ps_data_path <- ps_paths$datasetsbigrquery::bq_auth(email = "marine.data.science@ngs.org")project_id <- "pristine-seas"bq_connection <- DBI::dbConnect(bigrquery::bigquery(), project = project_id)```#### OverviewThe Seabed Baited Remote Underwater Video (SBRUV) protocol is used to survey fish communities across a wide range of reef-associated and coastal habitats. It is especially effective for detecting large, cryptic, or disturbance-sensitive species — including reef sharks and carnivores — that may be underrepresented in diver-based methods.Each SBRUV station consists of a stereo-video rig deployed on the seafloor for a fixed soak time (typically 60 minutes). Only the first hour of footage is analyzed. Bait is used to attract fishes into view, and species are identified using standardized video protocols.SBRUV data are organized into two interlinked tables:- sbruv.stations — Deployment metadata, including spatial context, rig setup, bait, and video info- sbruv.maxn_by_taxa — Species-level summaries per station, based on MaxN and linked traitsSpecies are standardized using accepted_aphia_id, enabling integration with taxonomy.fish.------------------------------------------------------------------------#### Tables ------------------------------------------------------------------------##### Stations (`sbruv.stations`)This table contains one row per Seabed BRUVS (SBRUV) deployment. Each record represents a unique baited camera drop and includes spatial coordinates, depth, time, and key deployment metadata (e.g., bait type, stereo camera models, rig ID).This table serves as the spatial and sampling reference for associated fish observations stored in `sbruv.maxn_by_taxa`.```{r sbruvs_fields, eval = T, include = T}#| label: tbl-sbruvs-site-schema#| tbl-cap: "Additional fields to the core site fields in the `sbruvs_sites` table"sbruv_stations_fields <- tribble( ~field, ~type, ~required, ~description, # Core site fields "ps_site_id", "STRING", TRUE, "Unique site ID (`exp_id_method_###`), e.g., `FJI_2025_sbruv_001`.", "exp_id", "STRING", TRUE, "Expedition ID (`ISO3_YEAR`).", "method", "STRING", TRUE, "Survey method (`sbruv`).", "region", "STRING", TRUE, "Region name.", "subregion", "STRING", TRUE, "Subregion name.", "locality", "STRING", FALSE, "Optional local feature (e.g., bay, channel, reef).", "date", "DATE", TRUE, "Date of SBRUV deployment (`YYYY-MM-DD`).", "time", "TIME", TRUE, "Start time of video recording (`HH:MM:SS`).", "latitude", "FLOAT", TRUE, "Latitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).", "longitude", "FLOAT", TRUE, "Longitude (decimal degrees, WGS84).", "lead", "STRING", TRUE, "Name of the field lead or technician.", # Deployment-specific "time_out", "TIME", FALSE, "End time of the deployment (optional; used to calculate soak time).", "depth_m", "FLOAT", TRUE, "Depth (m) of the camera on deployment.", "habitat", "STRING", TRUE, "Dominant habitat type (e.g., fore reef, mangrove, channel).", "exposure", "STRING", TRUE, "Exposure type (`windward`, `leeward`, `lagoon`, etc.).", "bottom_type", "STRING", FALSE, "Description of substrate or bottom type at deployment site.", "rig_id", "STRING", TRUE, "ID of the camera rig used (e.g., `RIG01`).", "left_cam", "STRING", TRUE, "Model or serial number of the left camera.", "right_cam", "STRING", TRUE, "Model or serial number of the right camera.", "bait_type", "STRING", TRUE, "Type of bait used (e.g., `sardines`, `skipjack`, `local fish`).", "highlights", "STRING", FALSE, "Notable events or field notes (e.g., large predator presence, gear issue).", # Notes "notes", "STRING", FALSE, "Additional comments or QA annotations.")sbruv_stations_fields |> gt() |> cols_label(field = md("**Field**"), type = md("**Type**"), required = md("**Required**"), description = md("**Description**")) |> cols_width(field ~ px(200), type ~ px(100), required ~ px(80), description ~ px(500)) |> data_color(columns = c(field), fn = scales::col_factor(palette = c("#f6f6f6"), domain = NULL) ) |> tab_options(table.font.size = px(13), table.width = pct(100)) |> fmt_tf(columns = required, tf_style = "true-false") |> fmt_markdown(columns = description) |> gt_theme_nytimes()```---##### MaxN by Taxa (`sbruv.maxn_by_taxa`)This table contains station-level summaries of fish detections from Seabed BRUV deployments. Each row represents a unique combination of `ps_site_id` and species, with associated metrics derived from standardized video analysis.The primary metric is **maxN**, defined as the maximum number of individuals of a species observed simultaneously in a single video frame during the first hour of footage. This conservative estimate is widely used in BRUV analysis to avoid double-counting individuals.All taxonomic fields are standardized via `accepted_aphia_id`, enabling linkage to taxonomy.fish. Additional traits (family, trophic group, etc.) are included to support community structure and trophic composition analysis.```{r eval = T, include = T}#| label: tbl-sbruv-maxn-schema#| tbl-cap: "Schema for `sbruv.maxn_by_taxa`: station-level fish detections and MaxN metrics"sbruv_maxn_by_taxa_fields <- tribble( ~field, ~type, ~required, ~description, # Identifiers "ps_site_id", "STRING", TRUE, "Unique site ID for the SBRUV deployment.", "accepted_name", "STRING", TRUE, "Scientific name of the detected species (`Genus species`).", "accepted_aphia_id", "INTEGER", TRUE, "WoRMS AphiaID; links to `taxonomy.fish`.", # Taxonomic traits "family", "STRING", TRUE, "Family of the taxon.", "trophic_group", "STRING", TRUE, "Trophic group classification (e.g., `top-predator`, `herbivore/detritivore`).", # Detection metrics "maxn", "INTEGER", TRUE, "Maximum number of individuals observed simultaneously (MaxN).", "maxn_per_min", "FLOAT", FALSE, "MaxN standardized by soak time in minutes (optional, if soak time varies).", # Optional length estimates "mean_length_cm", "FLOAT", FALSE, "Estimated mean length (cm) of individuals, if measured.", "min_length_cm", "FLOAT", FALSE, "Minimum estimated length (cm), if available.", "max_length_cm", "FLOAT", FALSE, "Maximum estimated length (cm), if available.", # Notes "notes", "STRING", FALSE, "Optional annotations or QA comments for the record.")sbruv_maxn_by_taxa_fields |> gt() |> cols_label(field = md("**Field**"), type = md("**Type**"), required = md("**Required**"), description = md("**Description**")) |> cols_width(field ~ px(200), type ~ px(100), required ~ px(80), description ~ px(500)) |> data_color(columns = c(field), fn = scales::col_factor(palette = c("#f6f6f6"), domain = NULL) ) |> tab_options(table.font.size = px(13), table.width = pct(100)) |> fmt_tf(columns = required, tf_style = "true-false") |> fmt_markdown(columns = description) |> gt_theme_nytimes()```---